Phytoplankton functional groups in a monomictic reservoir: seasonal succession, ecological preferences, and relationships with environmental variables

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2019-07, Vol.26 (20), p.20439-20453
• Main Author: Varol, Memet
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anabaena; Annual variations; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Autumn; Chlorophyll; Diversity indices; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecological monitoring; Ecotoxicology; Elakatothrix gelatinosa; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental factors; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Eutrophic environments; Eutrophic waters; Eutrophication; Functional groups; Granulation; Habitat preferences; Low temperature; Mathematical analysis; Microcystis; Nitrogen; pH effects; Phosphorus; Phytoplankton; Plankton; Redundancy; Regression analysis; Research Article; Reservoirs; River basins; Rivers; Seasonal variations; Silicon dioxide; Stratification; Thermal stratification; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water mixing; Water Pollution Control; Water temperature
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05354-0

The seasonal succession of phytoplankton functional groups (PFGs), their ecological preferences, relationships between environmental variables and PFGs, and ecological status were investigated in the Batman Dam Reservoir, a warm monomictic reservoir, located in the Tigris River basin of Turkey. Altogether 60 species, 19 functional groups, and 10 prevailing functional groups were identified, and prevailing functional groups showed strong seasonal changes. Centric diatoms Cyclotella ocellata (group B) and Aulacoseira granulata (group P) were dominant in the spring, with water mixing and low temperature. Groups F ( Elakatothrix gelatinosa , Elakatothrix gelatinosa , and Sphaerocystis schroeteri ), J ( Pediastrum simplex and Coelastrum reticulatum ), G ( Eudorina elegans and Volvox aureus ), L M ( Ceratium and Microcystis ), and H1 ( Aphanizomenon flos-aquae and Anabaena spiroides ) dominated the phytoplankton community from summer to mid-autumn, with thermal stratification. Groups H1 and P became dominant in the late autumn, with the breakdown of stratification. With the deepening of the mixing zone, groups P and T ( Mougeotia sp.) were dominant in the winter. The reservoir was meso-eutrophic according to trophic state index values based on total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll a , Secchi depth and total nitrogen, habitat preferences of PFGs, and diversity indices of phytoplankton. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that NO 3 –N, SiO 2 , TP, pH, and water temperature (WT) were the most important environmental factors controlling PFGs in the BDR. Weighted averaging regression results indicated that among PFGs, groups F and T had a narrower tolerance range for WT, pH, and SiO 2 , while groups G and T had a narrower tolerance range for TP and NO 3 –N.